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Libretto Network Install Saga

So, I'm trying to install Fedora Core 4 on a Toshiba Libretto L5 via network install. Originally, I tried using GRUB for NT. Set that up succesfully and was able to connect and start the installation. It went south while reading the packages from an FTP server and of course that was after the partitioning - so the HD is now scrubbed.

At this point, it looks like I'm definately going to have to do the network install. Two problems....

First, has anyone had success with doing an install using the Network Booting Service application under Sever Settings? I set everything up, created my NFS share but when booting my Libretto, nothing happens. Not sure if it's something I'm doing or that the NBS app just isn't ready for 'primetime'.

So going from the different sources I've used to guide me, I think I have everything setup OK. When I power on the Libretto, it does recieve the fixed IP address (192.168.1.55) but I get an error for TFTP that the file can't be found.

Could I borrow some of you alls eyes and let me know, did I miss something? The only thing that came to mind last night was to change the server_args statement to reflect /tftpboot/linux-install as the root, but tried that and same error. Thanks for any insight anyone could offer. If I get this straightened out, I'll update...

Should TFTP show as a running process if it was started correctly when you do a SERVICES --STATUS-ALL command?

I can see DHCPD is running. Using the SERVICES command is how I first figured out that piece wasn't working because it wasn't showing as an active service. So when trying to activate it manually with the DHCPD command, it pointed me to errors in my config that I was able to address.

My understanding is that TFTP is actually started under XINETD. Using the SERVICES command to check the status, it does show XINETD is running with an associated process ID. But I'm thinking (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong) if TFTP is wrapped up in that larger package (XINETD), A. SERVICES may not show TFTP running, and B. I really don't have a command I can use (that I'm aware of at this moment) to try to test the TFTP config and see if that's where the error lies.

The crux of the problem seemed to be that this particular TFTP server uses/is part of XINET.D and has a configuration file (/etc/xinetd.d/tftp) that includes an argument to specify the default directory to use for booting. So in doing the research, my mistake was that I had also included/repeated the path in my PXE configuration (/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg) which now looks like:

The Libretto has loaded and I'm able to connect to a HTTP mirror for the installation files...cool. But...the first time I went through the installation, I encountered an error.

After partitioning the drive, Fedora began to read the packages. Maybe 10 seconds into it, I got a window about an unhandled exception error and to copy the text in the box...there was no text to copy.

I shut down and have restarted the installation and it has progressed passed that point and is currently "Preparing to install...". See where it goes from here...

Quick Recap

Pleased to say that I have the Libretto L5W up and running on Fedora Core 4. Overall. wasn't a bad task...but very challenging. A quick recap in hopes this will help someone in a similar situation.

Background: The Libretto L5W has no native optical drive and is not sold with a native floppy drive. Compatiable drives that have the ability to boot from a CD exist but are hard to find and expensive. After trying other methods, I decided on doing a network install. The network install was done from a another Fedora 4 installation on a Fujitsu P7010D connected to a router. The Libretto was also connected to the router with standard CAT-5. To network boot from a Libretto L5W, you can either press the sideway directional keys or hold F12 as you power on.

The setup was to install a working version of Fedora on a host machine (P7) in order to boot the Libretto so the installation could be started. Once installed, I ultimately created a dhcpd.conf file in /etc:

Now, the first 3 files can be obtained from the Fedora DVD and I imagine several of the other boot ISOs. /pxelinux.fcfg is a folder inside of the /tftpboot directory. 'default' is the default configuration file and has the same contents as C0A80137. PXE booting instructions can be allocated to all machines that attempt to connect or certain IPs. C0A80137 is actually the IP of the Libretto (192.168.1.55) in Hex format. Not knowing where the TFTP was going to look for it's instructions first, I created both files to cover all angles. That being said, both /pxelinux.cfg/default and /pxelinux.cfg/C0A80137 have the same contents:

There is a confiuration file for the TFTP daemon at /etc/xinetd.d/tftp. By default, the server is disabled. This is quickly remedied by opening the file in a text editor and changing the 'disable' option to no.

Before you can begin using the services you must make sure they are activated. By going to Desktop >> System Settings >> Server Settings > Services, I was able to confirm that the tftp and dhcpd services were part of the start up.

After all of the changes, I decided to reboot the P7 to start using the new config. The services should start with bootup if setup correctly although you can also manually start and stop them. To test your DHCPD config, you can simply open a terminal and issue the dhcpd command. If there are errors in the config file, it'll let you know. Otherwise you'll notice it states that a server is already running, among other information.

So I was able to bootup the Libretto and it loaded the appropriate start up files. From the initial setup screen, I actually chose to manually input the IP information (even though DHCP was configured) and I used a public HTTP server for the installation. You'd pick up more speed setting up your own local FTP, HTTP, or NFS server and using that; I had just gotten to a certain...point!

Now this could be specific to the Libretto but, you never know. On my initial connection, the installation went south after formatting and partitioning, as the installation began to read the packages. I had encountered the error before using another boot-up method (GRUB for DOS/NT to install from HTTP server) but never jotted down the error. When I ran into the same situation this time, I recieved the error message (unhandled exception error) but there was no text or code indicating what the actual problem was. I simply rebooted the Libretto and tried again. The second time everything went off without a hitch. Wierd.

So I hope that sums everything up in a concise and usable manner. If you are in a similar situation, this should give you a working setup to use. Among the many things I learned is you have to watch out for the TFTP server; because the config file contains a parameter that specifies the TFTP root directory, adding the full path to your PXE configuration files causes an error that the file couldn't be found.

The first boot-up is kind of slow and I've noticed an error concerning /etc/fstab and something else about fonts, but the main task is succesfully completed. The post config seemed to correctly identify the sound card but I don't here anything. Looking forward to tweaking this machine, sharing the results, and learning more...